AM: Arrival in Baltra Island
Your guide will escort you to the M/C Seaman. This is a short transfer from the airport to Baltra´s dock. Boarding and cabin assignment. Lunch on board.
PM: Highlands of Santa Cruz Island
While traveling across Santa Cruz into the highlands guests are delighted by the island's impressive landscape due to its variety of life and geology. Beginning at the coast and traveling across Santa Cruz the road departs from Puerto Ayora climbing through the agricultural lands and into the mist-covered forests. Santa Cruz possesses all of the various life zones present in the archipelago. Birds will surround you across this path. Whether it's the bright red feathers of a vermillion flycatcher or one of Darwin's Finch almost every bird present in the islands can be found here.
Santa Cruz offers excellent opportunities to observe the wild Galapagos Tortoises. Tracking tortoises is not the only exciting activity to be found in the highlands. There are also plenty of lava tubes, sinkholes, and craters ready to be explored. After this visit, board the M / C Seaman.
AM: Fernandina Island: Mangle Point
Off the eastern coast of Fernandina, Mangle Point can be found, a superior snorkeling site and a beautiful location for riding in a panga or zodiac through a grove of mangrove trees. A hike of about 1/2 miles is possible. While you are on your ride, you are likely to see sea lions, tortoises, pelicans, rays, and birds too numerous to name them all.
PM: Isabela Island: Punta Moreno
Punta Moreno is located on the north coast of Isabela Island between the volcano Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul volcano. The trail runs along with a lava flow Pahohoe (solidified lava in the form of corrugated or an accordion) into a complex of coastal lagoons, where several species of birds can be found around these lakes and mangroves.
AM: Isabela Island: Urbina Bay
Urbina Bay is located at the base of Alcedo Volcano on the west coast, between Tagus Cove and Elizabeth Bay. This area experienced a major uplift in 1954, which caused the land to rise over 16 feet. The coast expanded half a mile out, leaving marine life stranded on the new shore. This area is also a great place to snorkel. Urbina Bay is a path that starts off with a wet landing. The course is approximately 3200m and made up of sand, pumice, lava, coral, and vegetation where one can observe iguana burrows. It is an ideal place to see red and blue lobster!
In Urbina Bay, you can see Darwin's finches. Its main attraction is the land iguanas, which are larger than in places like South Plaza Island and Galapagos tortoises also in the wild, sometimes even out of season, they are on the bottom of the islands.
A large amount of vegetation can be observed such as chamomile and Rosewood, but among all these plants, the beautiful flowers of cotton Darwin, endemic to the Galapagos Islands stand out.
PM: Isabela Island: Tagus Cove
Located in the southeastern part of the Galapagos, this island was formed from an uplift instead of a volcanic origin, this is why it is mostly flat. There are some theories that assure this could be the oldest island in the Archipelago. Santa Fe is the home of a number of endemic species like the Galapagos hawk, Galapagos snake, Galapagos mockingbird, rice rats, and one of the two species of land Iguanas of the islands.
After disembarking in the beautiful and clear waters you will be in contact with one of the many sea lion colonies. Along the trail many salt bushes can be seen as well giant Prickly pear cactus: gigantism is a characteristic of oceanic islands. There are great possibilities of snorkeling with playful sea lions and tropical fish.
AM: Fernandina Island: Espinoza Point
Espinoza Point is a famous place known for its large colonies of marine iguanas and as the habitat of unique species like the flightless cormorant, Galapagos penguin, Galapagos hawk, and Galapagos snake.
PM: Fernandina Island: Punta Vicente Roca
One of the most impressive and spectacular places of the enchanted Galapagos Islands; with high cliffs and tuff stone, ash, and lava formations that give this area a majestic touch, is Punta Vicente Roca. It is located on the north-western coast of the island; comprises two distinct islets. This large bay has spectacular marine life.
Here, you can see seahorses, sea turtles, and the strange yet fascinating Mola-mola or sunfish. This bay is a great place to practice Panga Ride and Snorkeling. Other wildlife can be spot as the Galapagos Penguins, Blue-footed boobies, Terns, Boobies, Sea lions. Underwater, while snorkeling, excellent opportunities to observe sea turtles, stingrays, and pufferfishes
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AM: Santiago Island: Playa Espumilla
Espumilla beach is located on the northern coast of Santiago Island in James Bay. During the last presence of the El Niño phenomenon, one of the two lagoons in this site, underwent a process of sedimentation, thus causing the disappearance of a representative colony of flamingos. The main attractions are the Palo Santo forest and the nesting of baby turtles.
PM: Santiago Island: Puerto Egas
The island black beach is located on the west side of the island and is the main attraction of the island. Their volcanic tuff deposits have favored the formation of this special black sand beach.
This site is called Puerto Egas because there was an attempt to start the exploitation of salt, which failed because the price of salt in the continent was very cheap, and did not justify its exploitation in the Galapagos. The project was abandoned and the infrastructure was left abandoned.
AM: Rabida Island
Rábida Island is unique due to the red color that colors all rocks and sand. The volcanic material in this island is very porous and external factors as rain, salty water, and sea breeze have acted as an oxidizing agent. A short walk along a trail leads you to a coastal lagoon behind the beach which permits you to observe the land birds such as finches, doves, yellow warblers, and mockingbirds. At the lagoon, there is a colony of flamingo
PM: Chinese hat
This is a small islet (1 sq km) located just off the southeastern tip of Santiago Island. It is a recent volcanic cone, shaped like a Chinese hat when seen from the north. On the west you can see lava formations, formed under the sea and raised upwards, this is why coral heads are found on the lava. This is an excellent visit for the interpretation of geological features such as lava tubes and lava flows. The landscape is covered by sea lions colonies, marine iguanas, and Galapagos penguins.
AM: Santiago Island: Sullivan Bay
Santiago, also called James, or San Salvador Island is located in the west-central part of the Galapagos archipelago. It is the fourth largest island in the archipelago (following Isabela, Fernandina, and Santa Cruz). Along with some of the large western volcanoes of Isabela and Fernandina, Santiago is also volcanically active, with many young flows and cones to be seen, particularly along the south, west, and east coasts. These may even be seen from the summit of Darwin Volcano and from space. A number of historic eruptions have been reported over the last 2 centuries. Santiago actually consists of two coalesced volcanoes: a typical shield volcano on the northwest end and a low, linear fissure volcano on the southeast end.
PM: Bartolome Island
Bartolome Island is situated across Sullivan Bay. It has an altitude of 114 meters, from where we can observe one of the most beautiful sceneries of the Galapagos Islands such as volcanic cones, lunar-like craters, lava fields, and the famous toba formed pinnacle eroded by the sea. There is very little vegetation on this island. It has two breathtaking beaches where marine turtles exist and at the base of the pinnacle, as well as a very small colony of Galapagos penguins.
AM: Bachas Beach: Santa Cruz Island
Bachas has two beaches, and they are found to the West of Turtle Cove. The first one has white-sands formed by decomposed coral, turns it white and soft, making it a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches, there is a small brackish water lagoon, where it is occasionally possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels.
Bacha´s second beach is longer with two barges that were abandoned during the Second World War when the USA used Baltra Island as a strategic point to safeguard the Panama Channel.
Later, transfer to Baltra airport and flight to Ecuador´s mainland.
